


The Emperor of the Night

by DarthImperius



Series: DarthImperius's Plot Bunny stories [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Royalty, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-11-16 09:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11250315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthImperius/pseuds/DarthImperius
Summary: When a terrible civil war sunders a family apart, the young heir to the Great Kingdom of Arcadia is sent to Earth, in a dimension far away from his own, to live with his aunt in peace and security. But soon, Harry will come to learn that not even the void between worlds is a strong enough barrier for the most persistent of all threats.





	1. The Dark Lord's Downfall

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling

* * *

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

**_Chapter 1 – The Dark Lord's Downfall_ **

**Fortress of Ondo, Timmur Archipelago, Normandia**

There was once a time when the ancient fortress of Ondo was used as a sea outpost by the old Kingdom of Normandia, but those days came to an end centuries ago, when the eastern seas were conquered. It was abandoned and left to oblivion, at least until now. If by coincidence, a small ship was to pass nearby, its sailors would stare in horror or amazement at the central island of the Timmur archipelago, where the once proud fortress stood.

The skies were dark above the island, and the waters were blackened as well, dark clouds of smoke blocking out the sunlight in its entirety. Wild flames consumed the towers and walls of the fortress, furthering the ruin of Ondo and threatening to spread across the structure. Besides the smoke, the air was filled with the scent of blood and burnt flesh, a clear sign of the battle that was taking place.

As the defenders attempted to push back the attacking force, within the fortress, many warriors which had penetrated the fort's defences were engaged in battle against opposing warriors, the corpses of their fallen comrades nearby. Outside, two fleets fought for dominance over the sea, debris scattered across the water. Many deaths had already occurred, and many more would follow.

Yet this was an attack out of desperation, a way of recovering a small hint of hope in a world threatened by a rising darkness. Hope, which took the form of a small child, not even two weeks having passed since its birth.

Recovering the child had been strangely easy once the fortress had been infiltrated, yet leaving the old structure was proving to be a far more difficult task. Still in a deep sleep, the child was carried by his mother, a woman with red hair and green eyes which was accompanied by a middle-aged man in armour, and another woman with whom she shared her red hair and green eyes, as well as many of her facial features. Such was a trait of these somewhat identical sisters, age being one of the factors which differentiated them.

"Madam, we should hurry," warned the man. "These walls can collapse at any moment."

"I'm more worried about that bastard appearing than in these walls!" she replied as they entered large and ruined hall.

She glanced at the baby in her arms. They boy had been called Aurion, and was the youngest of her three children, and the second of her sons. Yet with this small war, he could very well become the only survivor of the three.

"Lililia, do you have the key with you?" she asked.

Her sister nodded. "Yes, why?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to use it," she announced. "I can sense his presence here."

The younger sister, Lililia, instinctively reached out to the pendant she wore around her neck. The key was an odd and ancient instrument, but its purpose was very clear to the three adults.

"Hold Aurion, please," requested the elder sister, handing her son to Lililia, who took the baby.

The old warrior and Aurion's mother assumed a defensive posture, the two knowing very well that something was wrong. Despite the chaos within the fortress, the three could see that there was something unnatural about the shadows in the room, a realization that came too late.

"He's here," whispered Lililia.

At those words, the shadows retreated into a corner of the room, turning it as black as the void of space. The sound of metal could be heard from within the darkness, and as a dark and armoured figure emerged from the dark, the fears of the three were confirmed.

"I would feign surprise, but it is unnecessary," spoke the dark figure, scorn clear in his voice. "Hello Zenolia. I see that my father and your sister keep you company, making this a rather convenient reunion. You have something of mine."

The last sentence was more of a whispered growl, the armoured man reaching out to his weapon.

"Sarutar," replied the oldest woman, Zenolia. "He is not yours."

"In all aspects, he is," declared Sarutar. "The child, give him to me. Now!"

Quickly, Zenolia raised her hand, a bright light emanating from it, a barrier emerging to separate them from the dark warrior.

"Never, servant of Tau!" she declared, before turning to her sister. "Open a gateway to Earth and take both Aurion and Lord Cyernar. I'll be with you shortly!"

"What are you doing?" demanded Lililia in panic.

"I'm ending this travesty for now," affirmed Zenolia, before a wave of her hand activated her sister's pendant, a swirl of white energy surrounding her and the young child in her arms. "Go with her, Lord Cyrenar."

The man nodded. "As you command, my queen."

He quickly joined Lililia in the swirl of energy, the three being sent away into Earth, far away from the ruined fortress of Ondo, and leaving Zenolia to deal with her former spouse.

"Keep him away for now, but I shall always find him," declared Sarutar as he used dark magic in an attempt to bring down the barrier. "The emperor of the night will be ours!"

Her two hands began to glow brightly, far than before, and as she raised them, Zenolia looked directly at the being which had once been her husband, her words being calm and near emotionless.

"You shall never have him."

And as the barrier fell, an immense wave of magical energy was unleashed from Zenolia, engulfing the entire island and the sea which surrounded it.

* * *

**Godric's Hollow, West Country, England (U.K.)**

Inside the small cottage of the Potter family were only James Potter and his new-born son. For some reason, Lily had left a few days ago, leaving only a note with an odd explanation of her lengthy absence. So, without his wife to help him, James had to take care of young Henry with the help of their aged neighbour and fellow wizard, Bathilda Bagshot.

In James's opinion, she was a rather nice lady, but had the usual tendency to ramble on lectures of wizarding history. Not that it was a bad thing, but he had enough history of the wizarding world back at Hogwarts. She also liked to talk a lot about Professor Dumbledore. Speaking of which, he had to remind himself that the Order would be meeting in secret back at Hogsmeade.

And as he reminded himself of the Order and the fight against Voldemort, James quite literally threw himself out of the armchair when a bright light emerged in the middle of the living room, a strong gust of wind being felt across all divisions of the ground floor. And when he looked at the source of the distortion, he saw his wife with a child on her arms, and a man accompanying her.

"Lily, what?" said James as he got up, his hand already heading for his wand. "Who are they?"

Lily looked at her husband, clear relief on her face. "James, relax. Everything's fine."

Cyrenar seemed to be fascinated with the living room, finding the contrast between this world and his own to be rather extraordinary.

"This is Aurion, your nephew," she explained. "And this is his grandfather, Cyrenar, Prince of the White Isles."

James was temporarily dumbfounded, before realizing what was going on. "Nephew? Oh, so he's Zenolia's…"

Lily nodded. "Yes, he is."

"So… what happened?" asked James.

"One of the Dark Lord's lackeys managed to enter the palace and kidnapped Aurion," she said. "That's when I left. We managed to recover him moments ago, but he appeared. My sister sent us here, and she remained behind fighting him."

"You think she's…"

"I don't know James. Zenolia said she's come here, so we have to wait."

There was a moment of silence, interrupted by the opening of a new portal in the living room. James pointed his wand at the portal as it opened, Lily and Cyrenar backing off. To their relief, the figure which emerged was Zenolia, looking quite exhausted.

"By the Empress, you're alive!" said Lily in relief.

Zenolia simply nodded.

"What happened?" asked Cyrenar.

"The island has been submerged and the fortress is destroyed," she announced. "For the moment, Sarutar has been defeated."

There was a general sensation of relief in the room at the news, but the moment for celebration was not now.

"So, what will happen now?"

"We still have to destroy the remaining forces of the Dark Lord. My eldest son amongst them," declared the queen. "If he does not repent, then he will suffer the same fate as his father. And even if he does, the throne will not be his, but his brother's."

"So Aurion is…" said Lily.

Zenolia nodded. "I believe so, and so did Sarutar and his master. Aurion may well be the prophesized Emperor of the Night, but that's not critical right now. As we stand, the safety of my son is compromised in Arcadia. He cannot stay there. Which is why I want to ask something of you, Lililia."

Lily knew exactly what her sister wanted. "You want him to stay with us."

"I would not be asking if it wasn't necessary."

"Well, if James agrees…"

All turned to the Potter patriarch.

"Well, I suppose so," he said. "You think we can take care of two kids?"

"We will manage," she said before turning to her sister. "You can count on us."

Zenolia smiled.

"Thank you, sister."

Cyrenar turned to Lily and James.

"Do take care of my grandson, and raise him well," said the man. "I would hate to see him turning into the splitting figure of his father, and I do not speak physically."

At that moment, he focused solely on James.

"You do look like Ganriil."

"I'm sorry, who?" inquired James.

"The Dark Lord before his corruption," explained Lily. "Ganriil was his name."

"Oh…"

At that, Zenolia activated her key, a white portal appearing near her.

"We shall depart now," she said before heading to her sister, who held Aurion on her arms, kissing the child's forehead. "We will see each other again, my son."

She looked at Lily. "And thank you, for everything you did."

"We're family," was Lily's reply. "We watch each other's backs."

Zenolia nodded, turning towards the portal and walking into it. Disappearing from view, she was followed by Cyrenar, and once the old man had vanished, the portal faded away.

Lily took a deep breath, familiarizing herself with the feeling of being back at home. The bundle in her arms, however, would require a little more work on both her and James's parts.

"Ok, now we have to make up a cover story for our nephew," she said. "Everyone knows that we only had one son, so we can't claim they are twins."

"We could say he's an orphan cousin of yours, and we adopted him as our son after hearing the news," suggested James.

"That's quite a good idea," said Lily. "But we still have to do something about his name. Aurion is not a British name, I'm sure of that."

"Don't look at me," spoke James. "I'm not good with names."

Lily thought about it for a while, eventually reaching a conclusion. Remembering her grandfather, Aurion IX, who had been known amongst the people as the "Old King Aury", perhaps she could alter the diminutive to fit something more… Earthly.

"I know! As our adoptive son, he will be known on Earth as Harry Potter."

* * *

_**The Arcadian Compendium:** _

**Arcadia** – The capital city of the Great Kingdom of Arcadia, which later came to give its name to the entire continent. The official main title of the monarch is _Great King_ , even if the holder is a woman.

 **Normandia** – One of the two great regions of the continent of Arcadia. Once, it was a small kingdom which rose in power and came to dominate half of the continent. Its greatest rival was the kingdom of Aurea, but the two eventually united due to a political marriage, and the result was the foundation of the Great Kingdom.

 **Lililia** – Youngest and second daughter of Cyrron III, Lililia followed an old tradition of cadet members of her family, by exploring the worlds beyond Arcadia. The first and only world where she travelled to was Earth, reaching it as a young child. Due to the unique abilities of Arcadians, she was able to replicate Earth magic, and attended Hogwarts as Lily Evans, later marrying James Potter. Despite being of different species, the biological similarities allowed them to have a son, whom they called Henry Potter.

 **Zenolia V** – The ruler of the Great Kingdom, Zenolia succeeded her father as Great King. She married a nobleman, and had three children with him. Shortly after the last one was conceived, her husband became a servant of Tau, and became known as the Dark Lord Sarutar.

 **Sarutar** – Born as Ganriil, the son of Prince Cyrenar of the White Isles, the man who came to be known as Sarutar married Zenolia during the reign of her father, and upon his death the two ascended as co-monarchs of the Great Kingdom. Somehow, Ganriil fell under the influence of Tau, and was corrupted into the malevolent and power-hungry Sarutar, who also came to be known as the Dark Lord.

 **Tau** – Believed by Arcadians to be the primordial source of evil, Tau is not a liked figure in Arcadian culture. His presence was first felt during the Age of Dawn, and he re-emerged during the Age of Dusk, using the corrupted king of Arcadia as his " _second-in-command_ " in the mortal world.


	2. The Attack

"Normal speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

_**Chapter 2 – The Attack** _

**Godric's Hollow, West Country, England (U.K.)**

As a wizard, James Potter was far more used to the otherworldly than the common man. Yet when he first learned of Lily's true origins, he simply could not believe it. For the love of his teenage years which endured into adulthood to come from another world, a different universe even, it was simply unthinkable. Seeing that there would be no other way, Lily resorted into "kidnapping" James and brought him into Arcadia.

Facing the unknown land directly, James had no choice but to accept the truth. In a moment of insight, his first thoughts were about how Lily was able to use magic, and how he and a non-human would be able to have children.

"Focus on the 'do', and not on the 'how'," was her response, and James did not press her into any more details.

It had been there that James also learned of Lily's true name and bloodline, meeting her older sister, Zenolia, and her husband, Ganriil, co-rulers of the Great Kingdom, alongside their two children. Now conscious of what was happening and had happened in Arcadia, neither James nor anyone could have suspected that three years later Ganriil would discard his name and assume the mantle of Dark Lord as Sarutar.

He knew that the war had lasted for months and had devastated parts of the continent, but both he and Zenolia pressed Lily to remain on Earth for her protection, and the possibility of Zenolia's death and that of her children. It did not help that the heir to the Great Kingdom had been turned to his father's side, turning traitor and automatically being barred from succession. To James, he wanted Lily's presence on Earth out of love and worry, while to Zenolia, it was both sisterly love and the necessity of a "backup heir".

But when Aurion, or Harry as he was now called was born, the war escalated quickly. For reasons unknown to many, the Dark Lord ordered the kidnapping of his own son, and succeeded in doing so. James's lack of information regarding what followed was great, and he only knew that somehow the forces loyal to Zenolia assaulted a stronghold of Sarutar, where Aurion was held, and managed to rescue him, before bringing him to Earth.

Compared to their current predicament, James was not sure where his nephew would be safer. If back on Arcadia, or here, in a house protected by an enchantment while the four hid from a maniacal dark wizard whose followers referred to him as the Dark Lord, who apparently wanted to kill all four because of some sort of prophecy.

At least according to Dumbledore. Better safe than sorry, though.

"Are the boys sleeping?" he asked.

"They'll be soon enough," said Lily as she fell on the sofa. "I hate this."

That comment was unusual.

"What?" asked James, confused.

"Hiding here," clarified Lily. "I hate it. I thought many times about taking us four to Arcadia, but then I remember how things may be there now... It's trading the blade of a sword for that of another."

"A week has passed, and nothing has happened," pointed out James. "Peter must be somewhere hiding as well, so You-Know-Who won't easily find him."

Not speaking Voldemort's name was practically a necessity now, as the bastard had somehow made his name into a Taboo, using it to find those courageous enough to pronounce it. Needless to say, the majority of those had been careless opponents of Voldemort. The others were simply careless.

"I still don't like it."

"Neither do I," said James. "But what other choice do we have?"

Lily sighed, reaching out for a book on the coffee table. Yet as she did so, the binding nature of the Fidelius Charm announced the arrival of someone to the two on their property. James, who was closer to the windows, immediately ran towards them, looking outside to see who it was. The moment he set his eyes on the newcomer, he felt himself faint.

"Lily, take the boys and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily immediately ran from the sofa and into the stairs, James running to the coffee table and grabbing his wand, before heading out into the entrance hall. His wand pointed at the door, he prepared himself for a confrontation that would likely end in his death.

And as the door was blasted into pieces by Lord Voldemort, James only tightened the grip on his wand.

* * *

It was not unusual for Sirius Black to make daily trips to the village where Peter was hiding, checking if his fellow Marauder was still safe. Needless to say, when he discovered that Peter's house was empty, and there was no sign of any struggle, it could only mean two things. Peter either had surrendered himself to the Death Eaters, avoiding any kind of fight, or he had in fact betrayed them.

Dumbledore's orders had been clear, that he was not supposed to leave his house under any circumstance, and that all supplies such as food and other things would be delivered by house-elves from Hogwarts. The lack of a Dark Mark above the house only reinforced the second possibility.

Sirius immediately apparated towards Godric's Hollow, and what he found upon arrival was horrifying. The cottage where the Potters had been hiding was in ruins, the first floor a wrecked mess. There were debris scattered across the street, mostly from parts of the roof and the walls. The entrance door had been blasted away, and there was utter silence coming from inside the house.

He immediately ran towards the house, entering it, and finding a fallen James near the stairs, his wand nearby.

"James…" he whispered in shock.

Sirius approached the body of his friend, and at close range, he realized that James's chest was moving. He was breathing. He sighed in relief, but there were still other three people he had to check. He ran upstairs, his wand ready for any confrontation. Once up there, he had to walk over debris in order to reach the children's bedroom, where they likely were.

Lily was inside, fallen on the floor much like James, and the two children were on their cots, the two seemingly unconscious as well. Near Lily as a black robe, and a white bone-like wand near it. Oddly enough, there was no sign of Voldemort nearby. Could it mean…?

Seeing that Lily was unconscious like James, Sirius moved towards the children, wanting to know if Voldemort had somehow succeeded in killing them. Relief washed over him, as he saw that the two were still breathing, yet the two boys were a bit injured, likely from the explosion, or whatever Voldemort had done.

He pointed his wand at Lily, hoping that what he was about to do wouldn't compromise her health.

"Rennervate!"

Under the effect of the spell, Lily immediately awoke, deeply inhaling air as if she had been holding her breath for many seconds. She looked around confused and panicked, quickly noticing Sirius's presence.

"Sirius, what? James… the children!"

"Lily, calm down!" said Sirius. "They're fine, I think. James is downstairs unconscious, and the boys are as well. You're all alive, somehow."

What Sirius said was too good to be true, but she quickly remembered who had attacked them.

"Where is he? Where's You-Know-Who?" she demanded.

At this, Sirius was not sure of what to answer.

"I guess…" he said, pointing his wand at the black robes and wand. "…there."

Lily turned towards the robes, her eyes widening in recognition. Surely, there was no way that Voldemort had ran naked from their house, so it could only mean that the dark wizard had somehow been defeated.

"Sirius, go downstairs and revive James," she requested. "I'll…I'll take care of the boys."

Sirius nodded, quickly heading downstairs. Lily got up, feeling rather dizzy as the world seemed to be moving in ways that were not possible. It was then that she noticed the extent of the damage caused by the attack.

"Oh, by the Empress…"

From their ruined house, she could even see the church's tower, and no doubt there would soon be people coming over to see what the ruckus had been about. Especially today, that was Halloween.

She crouched down and took hold of Voldemort's wand, placing it on one of her pockets, before looking around for hers. Finding it, she went over to the cribs, checking on the two children. They were mostly unharmed, although the two had small wounds on their heads. She was unsure of waking them up was a good idea, especially considering the state of the house, and how panicked the two would become. She would need to have a healer to look at Henry and Harry.

The sound of someone running up the stairs, made her alert, and when James entered the room, she was nearly squashed by her husband's embrace.

"Thank Merlin you're alright!" said James.

Lily simply nodded.

"The boys?"

"Asleep," she responded. "I think he's dead."

James looked at her as if Lily had suddenly grown two heads. "What?"

"You-Know-Who. I think he's dead," said Lily, pointing at the robes. "That's all that remained of him."

She took out Voldemort's wand, showing it to James. "And his wand as well."

The Potter patriarch looked at the wand dumbfounded. There was no possible way that Voldemort had run away, leaving his wand behind. Yet, the thought of Voldemort having been somehow killed was very surreal. Perhaps Dumbledore could shed some light on this matter.

A loud crack coming from outside made the three wizards nervous. James went downstairs, joining Sirius, Lily remaining upstairs with the children. A tall figure entered the house, his rather extravagant robes giving away who it was.

"Professor Dumbledore," nearly whispered James in relief. Perhaps this whole mess could be solved quicker with the headmaster here.

"Good evening James," said Dumbledore. "And… Sirius?"

"He was not the keeper," quickly clarified James. "We secretly choose him as a decoy. Peter was the real one."

Saying that brought a quick realization to James.

"Oh… so he… When I get my hands on him, I'll kill him!"

"Let us hope it won't come to that," said Albus. "Lily and the children?"

"They're fine. A bit injured, but alive."

"And Voldemort?"

James and Sirius glanced around, a bit paranoid about speaking the dark wizard's name, considering the consequences.

"All that remained of him were his robes and wand," said Sirius. "They're still upstairs, if you want to see them."

Dumbledore nodded. "I would very much like to."

The old headmaster followed the two wizards into the house, stopping to cast a muggle-repelling charm around the house. Upstairs, Dumbledore could see the damage caused by the attack, but something was not right about this whole affair.

"Lily, it is good to see you are alright," said Dumbledore upon seeing his former student.

Lily was startled by the voice of Dumbledore, and turned around to greet the headmaster.

"Headmaster, thank goodness you've arrived," she said. "We're not sure of what to do now. I mean, the children need to be healed from their wounds, but everything else…"

Dumbledore looked around the destroyed room, using his wand to look for any signs of latent dark magic. Strangely enough, there were little, not enough to cause such damage to the building. So what exactly had destroyed the walls?

"It appears there are little signs of persistent dark magic here. Possibly from any dark magic used by Voldemort," affirmed Dumbledore. "If you so wish, the cottage can be repaired without any issues, but it will take time for the latent magic to fade away. May I look at the children?"

Lily and James nodded, and Dumbledore approached the two cribs. He looked down at the sleeping boys, observing the wounds they had. A closer magical inspection revealed that the two had been hit with the same spell, its dark nature quite evident. But somehow, it had no effect on either child. And in each child, where the curse had made contact, was a peculiar wound, both shaped like lightning bolts.

"Interesting…" mumbled the headmaster, who turned around and faced the three wizards. "You said his robes and wand were here, correct?"

Sirius pointed towards the ground, while Lily took out Voldemort's wand from her pocket, handing it to Dumbledore. He took the wand, before pointing his own at it.

"Prior Incantato."

From the tip of Voldemort's wand came a green mist, rising up into the air, within it a visible bolt of green light. It quickly faded away, but it left no doubt about what spell Voldemort had used last.

"That was… the Killing Curse, was it not?" asked Lily.

"Indeed it was," replied the headmaster, now looking at the children with far greater curiosity.

The wound left behind on Harry and Henry could have only been caused by a dark curse, and since the Killing Curse had been the last spell to be used Voldemort... how in heavens did they survive it? More importantly, how exactly did this whole situation fit with Trelawney's prophecy? It spoke of a single individual being marked, not two. Not to mention that Harry was not the biological child of Lily and James, so he could not fit into it.

Yet, he too had been marked by Voldemort.

Dumbledore was quite sure, at that moment, that Harry Potter would prove to be a quite interesting individual, once grown up. There was also the prospect of him being a muggle, so he should not jump into conclusions. Time would tell.

* * *

It would not take much time for the news to spread across the wizard community of Britain, much to the happiness of the majority of the population. But to these people, the thought of a child defeating Voldemort was surreal, but the declaration of Dumbledore had been enough to confirm it. Yet despite the old headmaster's statement that both Henry Potter and his adoptive brother had both a hand in the defeat of the dark wizard, it mattered little for these people.

It was simply impossible for a muggle to have defeated Voldemort, so they only had one hero to hail. And across many homes and pubs, a phrase was shouted by those who celebrated the defeat of one who had been the cause of so many deaths in the last few decades.

"To Henry Potter! The Boy-Who-Lived!"


	3. Harry Potter

* * *

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

_**Chapter 3 – Harry Potter** _

Many were the days and nights which followed the fateful attack of Voldemort in Godric's Hollow, leading to his unexpected defeat. In the years that followed, the fame of the Potter family grew, as the legend surrounding Henry became filled with many appendixes of fantastic feats that the young Potter had made. Books were written, for both adults and children, and there were even plays surrounding the events which had occurred on that Halloween night.

Growing up as the centre of such attention did no wonders to the personality of Henry Potter, something which both James and Lily abhorred. Compared to his cousin however, Harry grew in the shadows, the wizarding world not caring about a meaningless muggle relative of the Boy-Who-Lived. Yet that did not mean he was ignored by his family.

Harry knew that neither James nor Lily were his parents, only that he was related to Lily by blood. Small and innocent questions asked to his primary school teacher were enough for him to grasp a basic concept of familial relationships, so he began to call Lily and James, aunt and uncle respectively, now even knowing how true those statements were. For all he, and the rest of the world knew, he was a somewhat distant cousin of Lily's. But "aunt" and "uncle" were good enough for this situation.

He knew little about his birth parents. Lily had explained him a few years ago, as much as one can to a child of seven years old, that his real mother had left him with her for reasons that he was too young to understand. Lily had been the only reliable person to do so, and she had accepted the task of taking care of him. Besides that, he also knew that his father had been an evil man, and his mother did something that kept him away, before disappearing into… somewhere.

While he was technically the adopted son of Lily and James, their surname having been given to him, the fact that he was not a true son of theirs was something that the wizarding world never made him forget, especially those who sneered at him for being a muggle, claiming that he had been taken in out of pity. Of course, this was one of those rare occasions when they decided not to ignore his existence. There were exceptions, of course, but they were few.

The worst of them were the "worshippers" of his cousin. Henry liked the attention, but the older Potters knew very well when enough was enough.

"Damned imbeciles," James would usually utter, after chasing them away.

Yet to Harry, having to tolerate the consequences of his cousin's fame was nothing compared to what he had to tolerate at night.

Repetitions of the same nightmare marked many nights, ever since he could remember. Henry too had nightmares, from the night of the attack, and so did he. But those were less frequent, compared to the dreams which truly terrified him. In the dark, he would be alone with a figure clad in black armour towering over him, almost as if threatening to squash or devour him. There were times when this figure got hold of him and threw him into a dark and endless abyss, yet all times the nightmare would end when a figure of light emerged, equally terrifying as the dark one.

And then the two, light and dark, would fight, and he would wake up.

Harry could remember the expressionless face of his aunt when he told her about the nightmares, and after a few words of comfort, she left into the study, locking herself inside. He wanted to know what Lily would be doing, and after sneaking outside, he spied on his aunt through the study's window, seeing Lily walking around the small room apparently deep in thought. He had gained nothing from it, and simply went back to his toys.

Other than these annoyances, he had a rather simple and satisfactory existence. That is, until the day Albus Dumbledore came to visit.

* * *

**Godric's Hollow, West Country, England (U.K.)**

Atop one of the trees, eleven-year-old Harry Potter watched as the occasional individual or car passed by, himself having nothing fun to do. Sometimes he heard the other kids speaking about television and cartoons, but because the cottage had a contained magical environment, the only electrical-like entertainment that they had inside the house was the wizard radio. He did not like to join James and Henry during their travels to the deep woods, where they would play mock Quidditch.

Despite having lived with them for many years, he felt himself a stranger when alone with those two, almost as if interfering with some sort of father-son bonding moment. Not to mention that sometimes, that insufferable Ron Weasley would appear and joined the two. He had nothing against the Weasley family (most of them, that is), but there was something about Ron Weasley and his older brothers, specifically Fred and George which irked him in the wrong way.

It was no secret that the Weasley twins were tricksters and aspiring pranksters, and so was his brother. It would be no good to keep himself near them when they were together. After all, he was fair game for their "prank experiments". He was a muggle, nothing to worry about.

He did like both Molly and Arthur Weasley, who had become close acquaintances of the family a few years ago during an encounter in Diagon Alley. Unlike the majority of the wizarding world which he had experienced, beyond his house, the Weasley matriarch and patriarch always treated him with kindness. Something he would gladly repay, if he had the chance one day.

Despite all this the thoughts of Harry Potter were not on the Weasleys, but on many arbitrary things which spawned inside his mind. Whatever he was thinking was quickly interrupted as he heard a loud crack coming from a nearby alley. In seconds, a robes figure emerged, and Harry quickly recognized the man as Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Despite this, he kept himself hidden away within the dense foliage of the tree, watching quietly as the old headmaster made way to the cottage's entrance. Dumbledore knocked on the door, and moments later, Harry watched as his aunt opened it.

"Professor?" said Lily surprised. "We weren't expecting you."

"Good afternoon Lily," said Dumbledore jovially. "I did neglect to warn you of my travel here. May I come in?"

"Yes of course," she said, moving to the side to allow passage. Yet Dumbledore remained in place.

"For what I come, I believe it is best that young Harry joins us," declared the headmaster.

"I'm afraid I don't know where he is professor," admitted Lily. "He usually disappears like this and only returns a few hours later. Perhaps it is best if you came back at another hour?"

Dumbledore simply smiled. "I don't think it is necessary."

He took out his wand, and upon waving it, the tree branches which hid Harry parted, revealing him to the two.

"Hey!" protested Harry in reflex, outraged at his exposure and that of his hideout.

Lily too was outraged, but at where Harry had decided to hide himself.

"Harry!" she yelled. Why in all possible places to be, would he hide himself atop a tree?

He flinched at the voice of his aunt, before groaning and descending from the tree, slowly walking towards the two waiting wizards.

* * *

Inside the living room were only the three, Lily serving a cup of tea to Dumbledore.

"May I ask, professor, why the visit?" asked Lily.

"Why, three reasons Lily," replied Dumbledore. "The first, quite trivial."

Dumbledore reaching into his robes with his empty hand, retrieving a sealed envelope and handing it to Lily. "Henry's acceptance letter into Hogwarts. Since I came here, I figured it would make sense to give it to you personally."

Lily nodded. "Thank you, headmaster. I'll give it to him when he returns."

"Now, to the second reason of my visit. One of the Astronomy department's professors has retired a few days ago, and considering your knowledge of the area, I thought you would be a good candidate to join the staff."

The proposal and opportunity surprised Lily. Yet…

"I apologise headmaster, but while I would gladly accept the position, I have to refuse," she affirmed. "Working at Hogwarts would mean I had to live there during the school year, and I cannot leave Harry alone here. Not to mention he also had classes."

"I know," said Dumbledore. "And that brings us to the third reason of my visit."

Dumbledore glanced at Harry, who had remained silent during the whole conversation. Once more, he reached out into his robes, taking out an envelope similar to the previous one. But this time, he handed it to Harry.

"I believe this is yours, Mister Potter."

Harry took the envelope, and the young boy began to look at. Under the watchful eye of both Dumbledore and his aunt, Harry opened the envelope, and began to read the letter.

"This is…" he whispered, not quite believing what he was seeing.

Dumbledore smiled. "Indeed Harry. The undoubtable proof that you, like Lily, James, Henry, and myself, are a wizard."

Harry simply starred at the letters.

"B-But how? I never did anything special before. No accidental magic!"

"Are you certain?" pressed Dumbledore, believing that the young man in front of him would quite sure remember a peculiar episode of the past.

Yet Harry simply could not. Nothing remotely magical had happened which related to him. Even in school, all magical related accidents were on Henry's hands.

"Yes."

Dumbledore frowned. "Lily?"

She sighed. "I'm afraid it's true. Harry had never shown any signs of being a wizard before. The muggle school which they attend placed them in different classes, and anything magic related happened only on Henry's class."

Of course, she would not reveal that she knew exactly the reason Harry had not demonstrated any underage accidental magic. Neither had she, after all.

"You do seem a bit… unimpressed with the fact that Harry is also a wizard."

Now that Dumbledore mentioned it, Harry quickly realized that his aunt had not shown any visible surprise.

"I think I was somehow prepared for the possibility," claimed the witch.

It did not take a genius to see that that had been a half-hidden lie, that both Dumbledore and Harry spotted.

"I see," said Dumbledore, not showing any signs of suspicion towards Lily. She was hiding something though, he was certain of it. And by Harry's reaction to this whole affair, he too was out of the loop regarding Lily's secrets. "Nevertheless, the previous proposal still stands."

"Well, I suppose returning to Hogwarts would be nice," she said. "Very well, headmaster. I accept."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Wonderful! Is tomorrow a good day to take care of the paperwork?"

"I suppose so. Morning or afternoon?"

"I find the morning to be more adequate for these matters," said Dumbledore. "Is ten a good hour?"

Lily nodded.

"Well then," said Dumbledore as he placed the now empty tea cup on the coffee table. "I should be going. Until tomorrow Lily. And I'm looking forward to see you at Hogwarts, Mister Potter."

Harry nodded, smiling. "Thank you, headmaster."

And as Lily guided Dumbledore to the exit, Harry ran upstairs to his bedroom, immense joy washing over him as he took in the fact that he too was a wizard and would be going to Hogwarts. And in these moments, the young Harry forgot the early deception of his aunt.

For now, perhaps, it was for the best.


	4. A Kingdom and a Wand

* * *

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

_**Chapter 4 – A Kingdom and a Wand** _

To the east of the great Sea of Timmur, where once a mighty landmass stood, was the continent of Arcadia, surrounded on all sides by vast, deep, and unknown waters. Long gone were the days when the continent and its people were scattered in many factions, all vying for dominance over the others, either in territory, influence, or commerce. It came to pass that only two great kingdoms would survive the volatile ages, and would hold dominion over Arcadia.

Aurea, to the east, and Normandia, to the west.

But even the two would not remain separate, as a marriage of convenience led to the eventual unification of the continent under a single monarch, a generation later. The respective royal families of Aurea and Normandia came to be fused, and so was born the Arcatar bloodline, still prevailing to the present day. Their seat was in the city of Arcadia, the fortress in its centre being the residence of the royal family.

Within its walls was Zenolia, queen of all Arcadia and its inhabitants. Ten years had passed since the civil war had ended, with the defeat of Sarutar and the rescue of Aurion. But not even that had stopped certain figures in the war to stop fighting. It was also ten years ago that both her eldest son and daughter, both twins, had perished in battle against each other, nothing remaining of the two. Why Cyrellon had joined his father, she would never know. But his death only confirmed that it would be Aurion the successor to the throne of the Great Kingdom, and too the Emperor of the Night.

The kingdom had recovered from the conflict, and life had returned to normal. But there was no doubt that Arcadia would eventually be at war again, fighting against the forces of the Corrupter.

"Thinking about that terrible business regarding your late husband?"

Zenolia snapped out of her thoughts, directing her attention to her guest.

"How could you tell?" she asked.

The other woman chuckled. "You always have the same expression when thinking about it."

She had been sitting with her cousin Pavela, recently returned from the eastern city of Fhilos with both her husband and son.

"Well, never mind that," said Zenolia. "I've been meaning to ask, how is Torel?"

"Oh dear… he's a wild one," sighed Pavela.

That made little sense to the queen.

"All easterners are wild, cousin."

"There's a difference between wild and passionate," affirmed Pavela. "Torel may be both, but the former excels over the latter. He enjoys the sight of blood a little too much."

"Oh dear!" exclaimed Zenolia.

"Oh dear indeed," said Pavela. "What about yours? Do you have any news from Aurion?"

She shook her head. There had been little to no contact between her and Aurion. A total lack of contact between the two worlds would prevent any unwanted movement on either worlds towards either her or Aurion.

"None. As it should be."

Her cousin seemed to be… unimpressed?

"Still? You do realize that soon enough, Aurion will have to be introduced to our world. The longer you delay it, the more he becomes vulnerable to the temptations of the Corrupter," pointed out the woman. "I do not think it is wise to keep him away for long now. How old is he? Eleven?"

"Eleven," confirmed Zenolia.

"The perfect age! I say, the decision is yours Zenolia, but for goodness sake, make sure you won't doom us all with it."

Zenolia gave small glance at the pendant around her neck, having been last used a decade ago.

"I can only hope."

* * *

**Diagon Alley, London, England (U.K.)**

A bit late for any second thoughts, Harry now realized he was not as prepared as he thought he would be for his first visit as a "non-muggle" to Diagon Alley. Of course, that little fact was known only to him, his family, and Professor Dumbledore. So it was no surprise when he was pretty much ignored by the wizards of Diagon Alley, who had dedicated all their attention to Henry, said boy enjoying the fame as much as he could.

James was once again grumbling, not pleased by the mob of wizards, and made all possible to bring them all as quickly as possible into Ollivander's shop. To their luck, the interior was empty, and Ollivander himself was nowhere to be seen.

"Mr. Ollivander?" called out Lily.

A strange sound came from the corridor behind the counter, the wandmaker appearing suddenly, holding a sliding ladder, an eerie smile appearing on his face.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you, Mr. Potter," said Ollivander.

Harry did not even need to see whom Ollivander was looking at, knowing very well that it was Henry the wandmaker's target of conversation. That is, before he turned to both James and Lily. As he did this, Harry made all possible to remain in the nearest darkened corner, finding Ollivander a bit too… creepy.

"It seems it was yesterday that you two were here buying your wands," commented Ollivander, who already was searching the shelves. "For you James Potter, a mahogany wand, eleven inches long, excels at transfiguration. And willow wood, ten and a quarter inches long, perfect for working with charms, is it not, Lily Potter."

"Indeed," replied Lily, smiling a little.

Harry watched quietly as Henry tried several wands, the effects of each attempt being rather… chaotic. Eventually, Ollivander returned with another box, removing a wand from within and handing it to Henry.

"Eleven inches long, phoenix feather, holly wood."

As Henry took said wand, from its tip sprouted sparks. The wand had chosen its owner.

"Most curious," mumbled Ollivander.

For the first time since he entered the shop, the wandmaker turned towards Harry, surprised at being under the gaze of Ollivander.

"You're next, Harry Potter," said the man, surprising not just Harry, but the other three Potters as well. How exactly did he know that Harry was also a wizard?

Harry approached the spot where Henry had been, his adoptive brother now admiring his wand. Meanwhile, Ollivander had already returned to his task of searching the shelves for an appropriate wand. He quickly returned with a dusty box, and he handed the wand within to Harry, an expression of anticipation quite visible on his face. Mere seconds after Harry took hold of the wand, a ghostly glow appeared both around Harry and the wand, vanishing a moment later.

"Eleven inches, phoenix feather, blackthorn wood," said Ollivander in a low tone, glancing at both Harry and Henry. "A most curious case…"

"Why is it curious?" asked James, a bit concerned.

"I remember every wand I sold, Mr. Potter. All of them. It so happens that the wands which have chosen the two young men here, share the same type core. More curious, is the fact that both feathers come from the same phoenix. There is a third feather, but I sold that wand many years ago," explained the old man, turning to the two boys. "The same wand which gave you two those scars."

So not only they shared a wand core with Voldemort, but said wand core came from the same animal. Harry could only think it was a rather convenient coincidence. Henry too had reached the same conclusion, and like Harry, he was not exactly comfortable with the situation.

Sensing the growing tension, James moved forward to pay for the wands, the family soon departing from the shop. But even as they left, both Ollivander and Lily recalled a day many years ago, that when she had bought her wand. For only they had been aware that the reaction the blackthorn wand had to Harry, had been the same Lily's wand had towards her those many years ago.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** _

Normally, and when I can, I expand upon the background universe of my stories, and this one is no exception. This type of extra work can be found in the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki.

* * *

_**The Arcadian Compendium:** _

**Arcatar** – The High Arcadian word for the species, the city, and the language, being also the surname of the royal family, as decreed by Kaladas IV, first ruler of a unified Arcadia, and the Emperor of Dusk.

 **High Arcadian** – An evolution of the mixed language used by the inhabitants of the central region of Arcadia. In modern day, usage of High Arcadian is regarded to be a sign of either nobility, wealth, or education.

 **Vulgar Arcadian** – Known also as Low Arcadian, or as the Common Tongue, it is the universal language of Arcadia, used by the majority of its inhabitants. It is by itself an "evolution" of High Arcadian.

 **The Corrupter** – One of the epithets given to Tau.

 **Lady Pavela Arcatar** – Sole child of Prince Kaladas Arcatar, son of King Aurion IX of Arcadia. She married Vachel Senna, one of the six Archons of the eastern metropolis of Fhilos. The two have a son, Torel Senna Arcatar.


	5. Muggle-born

* * *

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

* * *

_**Chapter 5 – Muggle-born** _

**Diagon Alley, London, England (U.K.)**

When Harry and the others finally left Madam Malkin's, both he and Henry had their arms aching, having spent quite a few minutes there while Madam Malkin's enchanted measuring tape… well, measured them. Their purchases there had been the last of their shopping list, and so to Harry's relief, they were now free to return home.

Alas, their trip to the Leaky Cauldron was interrupted by the appearance of a much undesirable individual.

"Potter," spoke Lucius Malfoy, his voice clearly showing contempt.

"Malfoy," replied James in equality.

"I've heard of your latest raid," commented Malfoy. "Nothing was found, wasn't it?"

"No."

Harry could not help but glance at the man. Lucius Malfoy was certainly an odd individual. There was an aura of unpleasantness around him, and his son was basically a reflection of him. It was not the first time he had seen him, but still…

"Such a shame," taunted the man, who quickly noticed Harry. "You brought the muggle with you, Potter? A gesture of pity?"

"He's not a muggle," interjected Lily, clearly angered by the remark.

Lucius was quick to understand what Lily meant, and was rather surprised. "Is that so? How… interesting."

If there was anything Harry could notice, was that the way Malfoy looked at him did not inspire any sort of pleasantness. He could be "interesting", as Malfoy had just said, but the man still looked down at him as if he was dirt.

"Well, come along Draco. We have things to do," said Lucius, walking past the Potters, followed by his son.

"Bloody cunt!" hissed James.

"James, the children!" warned Lily, stepping on her husband's foot.

"Ouch!" yelped James. "Sorry. Henry, Harry, let's go."

The two boys nodded, and the four quickly headed to the Cauldron, using the floo network to travel back to their home.

* * *

The brief encounter with the Malfoys was but one in the many constant reminders Harry had of how quite a few people thought of him in the wizarding world. Yet the constant was now bound to change, considering he was too a wizard. But how much would it change?

In the eyes of wizards, he would be a muggle-born. And to some, it was basically the same as being a muggle. Yet, should that matter to him? He lived the last years hearing subtle, and not so subtle insults against him, and he endured them every single time. Why would they change now?

And why should he change now?

Harry had no doubt that he would remain the same as always. Unlike Henry, he had nothing to prove to the rest of them. He was under no obligation to do anything. He was just Harry, and he had no intention to change anything about himself just to appease the snobs of the wizarding world. Besides, he would certainly not be the only muggle-born at Hogwarts, not to mention the many others who cared little about ideals of blood-supremacy.

He was thrown into a world which he simply observed until the moment. Perhaps he had an advantage compared to his fellow muggle-borns, having lived amongst wizards. Or perhaps not.

Time would tell.

* * *

**King's Cross Station, London, England (U.K.)**

When Harry passed through the archway, following Henry, the first thing he saw was the red steam engine of the express, together with the smoke with created a rather inconvenient fog. Already in the station were many students and their relatives, all saying their goodbyes. James had come with them, Lily already being at Hogwarts.

"Now, let's get your trunks up there," said James as they approached one of the carriages.

The Potter patriarch saw no reason to get out his wand, and simply lifted one trunk into the open doorway, followed by the other.

"Henry, Harry, come here," he called out to the two.

The two boys approached James, who knelt down to speak with them.

"As you know, Lily will be at Hogwarts, so she'll be able to keep an eye on you two," said James. "However, I want you two too watch each other's back. I don't care if you end in opposing houses. I'll not have any of you antagonizing the other because of house rivalries, understood?"

The two nodded, the strict tone adopted by James leaving no room for disagreement.

"Yes, dad."

"Yes, Uncle James."

"Good," said James. "Go ahead first Henry, I need to say something to your cousin."

The boy nodded, hugging his father before entering the train.

"Harry, I have no need to tell you that in Hogwarts, there will be quite a few people who would love to do nothing but harm you, right?" asked James.

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"And why?" inquired James.

"Because I'm a muggle-born."

"That's right, because you're a muggle-born," agreed James. "And tell me, who else is a muggle-born?"

"My aunt."

"And what does she do now?"

"She teaches at Hogwarts," replied the boy.

"And not because of her blood. Lily is a brilliant witch, and you have the potential to be a great wizard too Harry," said James. "Not matter what other students and purists may say. Make sure you remember that. Okay?"

The boy nodded, before James surprisingly hugged him, Harry returning the hug as well, the embrace ending after a few seconds.

"Now, run along as well. And make sure Henry stays out of trouble."

"I don't think that's possible," remarked Harry.

The expression in James's face made it quite apparent that he agreed with Harry.


End file.
